Box 3.

Suspected sepsis – high-risk criteria^a

Objective evidence of new altered mental state

Respiratory rate: ≥25 breaths per minute or new need for oxygen (≥40% FiO2) to maintain saturation ≥92% (or ≥88% in known chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)

Heart rate: ≥130 beats per minute

Systolic blood pressure ≤90 mmHg or ≥40 mmHg below normal

Not passed urine in previous 18 hours, or for catheterised patients passed < 0.5 mL/kg of urine per hour

Mottled or ashen appearance

Cyanosis of skin, lips or tongue

Non-blanching rash of skin

^aAdapted from reference 19. © NICE [2016]. Available from www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng51 All rights reserved. Subject to Notice of rights. NICE guidance is prepared for the National Health Service in England. All NICE guidance is subject to regular review and may be updated or withdrawn. NICE accepts no responsibility for the use of its content in this product/publication.